National Park Service Offering Next Generation Ranger Corps Program Grant

Saguaro National Park and FOSNP will join together in partnership to create a new program for youth employment and economic opportunity in Southern Arizona, entitled the Next Generation Ranger Corps. Using funds from the National Park Service, FOSNP will recruit and hire local (9) youth interns to be placed with Saguaro National Park working with native and invasive plants as Next Generation Ranger Corps members, herefor referred to as a NextGen Rangers.

Through this agreement, the National Park Service is committed to working within our local community and providing opportunities to alleviate poverty through providing employment opportunities for youth interested in public lands and conservation, as well as providing youth from under-represented areas of Tucson opportunities to gain professional development in career tracks they may not have traditionally considered available to them. Interns will also gain exposure to outdoor recreation opportunities and experiences in other national parks in Arizona.

This project addresses the public purposes of 1) providing opportunities to alleviate poverty through providing employment opportunities for youth interested in publisnad and conservation; 2) providing youth from under-representareas of Tucson opportunities to gain professional development in career tracks they may not have traditionally considered available to them; 3) providing opportunities for youth to learn about the environment by spending time working on and completing conservation projects in national parks; 4) motivating youth to become involved in natural resource protection of their communities and beyond, and engage in hands-on experience; 5) gaining and disseminating new scientific knowledge; and 6) assisting in the promotion and improvement of the public’s understanding of natural resources and conservation.

The Next Gen Rangers will be assigned to the Division of Resource Management at Saguaro National Park. The incumbents will be mentored by Don Swann, Biologist, and given opportuntities to participate and lead efforts in natural and cultural resource management including high elevation surveys for archaeological sites, water resources, forest health, and rare plants; citizen science projects related to wildlife, saguaros, and other resources; natural resource education and social media; natural and cultural resource restoration, and outreach. The assigned NextGen Rangers will have opportunities to work along side park Resource Management staff in a variety of projects to better understand the profession of Natural and Cultural Resource Management in the National Park Service. The assigned Next Gens will receive training in all of these activities and will have additional cross-training and professional training opportunitities. The intern will meet regularly with the assigned mentor, and report on activities and accomplishments.